SAN FRANCISCO -- An environmental group brought a federal lawsuit against two landowners for allegedly threatening the Sonoma County population of the California tiger salamander.
California River Watch filed a lawsuit on Sept. 10 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against Taylor Merrill and Marc Hughes, who own property in Santa Rosa.
According to the complaint, the landowners leveled and filled in more than four acres of "prime" salamander habitat into a horse training facility.
The environmental group says Merrill and Hughes "interfered and continue to interfere with the feeding, breeding and sheltering" of the California tiger salamander, abbreviated as CTS in the complaint.
"Sonoma CTS living in burrows or above ground on the property would have been killed when the land was converted," the complaint states.
California River Watch alleges they did not consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) before making the modifications.
In 2011, the FWS designated more than 47,000 acres of Sonoma County as critical habitat for the endangered salamander.
California River Watch alleges the property owners violated the Endangered Species Act. The group seeks an injunctive order to stop Merrill and Hughes from continuing to convert the property and mitigate the damage already done.
California River Watch is represented by attorneys Edward E. Yates and Jack Silver.